'You don’t even once reflect..' South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's post on Gaza draws Israeli irk

Israel has engaged in a verbal feud with South Korea over a social media post by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. On Friday, April 10, the South Korean President shared a post by an account which claimed “Live footage” and showed a video of an apparent dead man being kicked and rolled off the roof of a building by an Israeli soldier. South Korean President shared the video with captions that if this were true, he had to check what actions had been taken.

Also Read: Trump administration unveils designs of 250-ft 'Triumphal Arch'

This irked Israel, its Foreign Ministry said that the video was old and had already been investigated. “President Lee Jae Myung, for some strange reason, chose to dig up a story from 2024 and to cite a fake account that falsely presented it as a current event,” said the Israeli Foreign Ministry in a statement on social media. “This account is notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation and falsehoods about Israel.”

South Korean Foreign Minister tried to diffuse the situation by saying President Lee was not suggesting any specific incident but was a call for “universal human rights.” However, South Korean President Lee again doubled down on Israel, suggesting that, despite severe criticism, Israel is incapable of “reflection”.

“It’s disappointing that you don’t even once reflect on the criticisms from people around the world who are suffering and struggling due to relentless anti-human rights and anti-international law actions,” he said.

The video in question was a different angle of a 2024 video of the atrocity, which the White House has previously condemned and demanded an explanation. This new verbal spat marks a stark change in the posture of Seoul, which is a traditional ally of Washington, the biggest backer of Israel globally. It reflects the growing rift between Israel and traditional US allies, which is suffering due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.